Storage box for producing soap bubbles or the like



y 970 A. BOCKHACKER 3,520,077

STORAGE Box FOR PRODUCING SOAP uumamss on mm mm H6 1 Filed May 31, 1967 INVENTOR Alfred BOCKHACKER his ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent O 3,520,077 STORAGE BOX FOR PRODUCING SOAP BUBBLES OR THE LIKE Alfred Bockhacker, Ludenscheid, Westphalia, Germany,

assignor to Artur Hammer, Ludenscheid, Westphalia,

Germany Filed May 31, 1967, Ser. No. 642,480 Int. Cl. A6311 33/28 U.S. Cl. 46-7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure provides a device for blowing bubbles which includes a frame member movably mounted within a container which has a cover to maintain the supply of bubble producing liquid therein. A biasing means is mounted in the container to urge the frame member outwardly of the container an amount effective to expose an opening located within the said frame member. The movement of the frame member is limited by corresponding abutment means located on the frame member and the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In a prior art storage box of this type the blowing ring support is tiltably mounted within the box and adapted to tilt upwards when the cover is opened. This construction requires a relatively wide box for accommodating the blowing ring support together with the blowing ring within the box. Moreover, the tiltable blowing ring when tilted out will yield to strong blowing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to develop and improve the storage boxes of the specified type.

To attain this object the present invention provides a storage box which is characterized with a cover and with a blowing ring support mounted within the box for producing soap bubbles or the like, wherein a web of the blowing ring support is slidable in a guide rail of the box and the blowing ring support is resiliently urged towards the cover.

Preferably a rubber band is used which is guided on return sheaves and which has its ends hooked in the guide rail and in the blowing ring support, respectively. By opening the hermetically closing cover the blowing ring support is pulled out of the box by the rubber hand, whereby the blowing ring is brought into a position for producing soap bubbles, lather bubbles or the like by blowing into the said ring. The storage box suitably will be of oblong tubular shape ensuring easy handling. Such a storage box may be put into ones pocket and in use it will be firmly held in ones hand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through a storage box according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front end view of the storage box, and

FIG. 3 is a cross section through the lower part of the storage box.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT Referring now to the figures of the drawing, the storage box proposed by the invention comprises a tubular housing 1 with the required installations. On one longitudinal side a channel section guide rail 2 is provided. Furthermore, place in the housing 1 is an insert member 3 which in a bottom portion 4 of the housing is of substantially funnel-shaped reduced configuration and fills the cross section of the interior of the box so as to leave only the space required for the blowing ring support.

With the exception of a narrow slot the open side of the guide rail 2 is completely covered by rear guide plates 6 of the insert member 3, which are joined up by upwardly directed strips 5. In the top portion of the housing 1 referably two return sheaves 8 are mounted in bearing brackets 7. Each bearing bracket 7 has two legs 9 and 10 provided each with a bearing opening or slot 11. Moreover, lugs 23 are fixed to the brackets 7 for hooking in the rubber band during assembly. The upper end face of the housing 1 is hermetically closed by means of a cover 12 contacting a thickened external bead 13 and provided with a packing insert 14. Preferably the cover 12 is provided with an internal screw thread for engagement with a corresponding thread of the bead 13.

The blowing ring support comprises a frame-like part 15 provided with a blowing ring 16 and a T-shaped longitudinal web 17 slidable in the guide rail 2. The longitudinal web 17 is located completely within the guide rail 2 and, moreover, covered by the strips 5 so that it will prevent the blowing ring support from being tipped off. Both the guide rail 2 and the longitudinal Web 17 are provided with locking noses 18 and 19, respectively, which prevent the blowing ring support from being pulled out of the housing 1.

An elastic band, preferably .a rubber band 20, is guided around the return sheaves 8 and suspended, on the one hand, in a slot 21 of the frame-like part 15 and, on the other hand, in a slot 22 at the foot of the guide rail 2.

The storage box proposed by the invention is operated as follows. The storage box is filled with soap-suds or another liquid capable of producing lather or bubbles. The storage box is closed hermetically by the cover 12 so that it can be carried about, for example, in childrens pockets. For use the cover 12 is removed, whereby the blowing ring support is pulled out of the housing 1 by the pull of the rubber band 20 until it abuts against the locking nose 18. Now soap or lather bubbles may be produced by blowing into the blowing ring 16. Wetting the blowing ring for repeated use is effected by immersing the frame into the suds. From the foregoing it is pparent that using the storage box proposed by the invention is very simple.

The interior of the housing 1 in the lower part of the box is constricted in a high degree by the bottom portion of the insert member 3, as shown particularly in FIG. 3. In the lower part of the box the cross section of the inner space of the housing is adapted to the configuration of the frame-like part 15 and so small that it is substantially completely filled out by the pushed-in frame. In this manner it is achieved that the suds can be used up almost to the dregs because when the frame 15 is pushed in the liquid is displaced upwards wetting the blowing ring 16.

The guide rail 2 and the bearing brackets 7 preferably form a component part to be slid into guide grooves in the housing 1, as illustrated particularly in FIG. 3. During assembly the rubber band 20 first is hooked into the lugs 23 and from there it is taken along by the slot 21 when the frame 15 is pushed in. The embodiment of the invention can be assembled in a particularly simple manner.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

I claim:

1. A device for blowing bubbles comprising:

(a) means mounting a cover on a container member to maintain a supply of bubble producing liquid therein,

(b) means movably mounting a frame member within the container, said frame member having at least one opening therein and abutting the inner surface of the cover in a closed position,

(c) biasing means mounted in said container and attached to said frame member to urge the frame member outwardly of the container from the closed position to a maximum opened position when said cover is removed,

(d) a film of said bubble producing liquid being carried by the opening in the frame member to be exposed outside the container, and

(e) abutment means located on the container to limit the movement of the frame member at the maximum opened position outside the container.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said frame member mounting means includes a flange member juxtaposed and mova-bly located within a guide rail member.

3. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein:

said 'guide rail member is positioned along the inside surface of the container and in the longitudinal direction therewith,

said flange member is located on the frame member.

4. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein:

said abutment means include nose sections located on said flange member and said guide rail member,

said respective nose sections cooperatively engage to stop the movement of the frame member caused by the urging of the biasing means.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 wherein:

said guide rail member is positioned along the inside surface of the container and in a longitudinal direction therewith,

said flange member is T-shaped and located on the frame member,

said guide rail member includes a slot means to introduce said flange member and cover strips to maintain said flange member therein.

6. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said biasing means includes a rubber band member connected to the frame member at one end thereof and to the container at the other end thereof,

said rubber band member being resiliently extended when said frame member is in a non-operational position to effect a force acting on the frame member to cause movement toward the cover end of the container.

7. A device as defined in claim 6 wherein:

said biasing means further includes means mounting sheaves adjacent the cover end of said container,

said rubber band member connection being located adjacent the bottom end of the container and said rubber band member being stretched over said sheaves at a location intermediate the two connected ends thereof.

8. A device as defined in claim 7 wherein:

said biasing means include projecting lug members mounted below the sheaves to abut the rubber band member when said frame member is in an opera tional position.

9. A device as defined in claim 7 wherein:

said sheave mounting means include bearing brackets extending away from the inside surface of the container,

said bearing brackets being slidably mounted within grooves located within said container.

10. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said device includes an insert member located in the bottom of the container to constrict the volume of bubble producing liquid maintained around the frame member in the non-operational position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,631,404 3/ 1953 Clausen 467 2,737,312 3/1956 Hamlon. 2,858,639 11/1958 Lawrence 467 1,145,029 7/1915 Munro.

FOREIGN PATENTS 854,665 11/1960 England.

ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner I. A. OLIFF, Assistant Examiner 

